Salt Lake Comic Con Fan X was my first Con ever (I know, I KNOW!), and I was quite nervous when I was approached to appear on a panel about the role of the companion in the “Doctor Who” universe. I had never attended such a panel, let alone participated in one, so I had no idea what to expect. . .
It quickly became apparent to me that you really only need two ingredients to have an amazing time being on a panel: great fellow panelists and a rowdy, involved crowd. I was fortunate enough to be a part of a panel consisting of Rebecca Frost (Hello, Sweetie Podcast), Kenny D. (Showtime Showdown), and Eric James Stone (ericjamesstone.com) as we all shared our thoughts and feelings on the importance of the role of the companions, and what exactly we feel that role should be and when it works best. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to quell my nerves and spend 45 minutes talking Doctor Who with.
Then there was the crowd. A crowd speckled with Doctor Who cosplay who would cheer at the mere mention of their favorite characters and had no shortage of questions to keep us panelists on our toes – and certainly not afraid to let us know if they agreed or disagreed with our follow-up answers. If you were in this crowd, and you happen to be reading this right now, I feel like I can speak on behalf of the entire panel when I say thank you – thank you for attending, and thank you for making this panel an incredibly fun 45 minutes.
Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Hannah. The young girl from the audience who brought to our attention that we had been neglecting the classic Who companions. I invited her up on the stage to join the panel and she gave an amazing response as to why Ace was her favorite companion and what she means to her (followed by a roaring applause from the audience). She remained on the panel with us through the last question of the evening and, I think, made a great addition.
You can listen to the “The Doctor’s Confidante: The Role of the Companion in the Doctor Who Universe” panel via the link below! And be sure to continue to follow Rebecca Frost, Kenny D., and Eric James Stone in all of their various works and endeavors!